Overall
- Decatur
- 88.4
- Huntington-Ashland
- 88.4
Diff 0.0 RPP
Decatur vs Huntington-Ashland
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Huntington-Ashland is 0% equally expensive than Decatur.
0% equally expensive
Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH is 0% equally expensive than Decatur, IL on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 88.4 vs 88.4). A $100,000 salary in Decatur buys about the same as $100,000 in Huntington-Ashland; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 88.4 (Decatur) vs 88.4 (Huntington-Ashland)
- $100k in Decatur ≈ $100,000 purchasing power in Huntington-Ashland
- Rents drives the gap (-4.9 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair IL:WV 88.4→88.4
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · RENT-LED · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE IL × WV
- RENT-LED Rent-led gap
- BOTH-BELOW Both below 100
- PP-PAR PP near-par
Instrument codes from this pair's BEA Regional Price Parities (overall · goods · services · rents · national benchmark 100 · purchasing-power conversion), not a ranking or recommendation.
Decatur
88.4
Cost Index
Huntington-Ashland
88.4
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Decatur, IL and Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.0 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents leads the difference, with Huntington-Ashland 4.9 points lower than Decatur. Goods, services, and rents all point in the same broad direction, making the headline comparison more transferable across household types.
Comparable population context is incomplete for this pair, so no market-scale explanation is inferred from the price indexes.
Both metros remain below the U.S. benchmark of 100. This comparison chooses between two below-average price levels; “more expensive” here does not mean nationally expensive.
For a housing-sensitive move, validate the rent gap first: HUD Fair Market Rent and the actual unit size can overturn what the blended index implies. On the BEA ratio alone, $100,000 in Decatur corresponds to $100,000 in Huntington-Ashland.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Decatur
- 93.6
- Huntington-Ashland
- 96.3
Diff +2.7 RPP
Services
- Decatur
- 91.1
- Huntington-Ashland
- 87.9
Diff -3.2 RPP
Rents
- Decatur
- 56.2
- Huntington-Ashland
- 51.3
Diff -4.9 RPP
| Category | Decatur | Huntington-Ashland | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 88.4 | 88.4 | 0.0 |
| Goods | 93.6 | 96.3 | +2.7 |
| Services | 91.1 | 87.9 | -3.2 |
| Rents | 56.2 | 51.3 | -4.9 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Decatur 88.4
Huntington-Ashland 88.4
Goods
Decatur 93.6
Huntington-Ashland 96.3
Services
Decatur 91.1
Huntington-Ashland 87.9
Rents
Decatur 56.2
Huntington-Ashland 51.3
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Decatur would need to be in Huntington-Ashland for the same purchasing power:
| In Decatur | In Huntington-Ashland | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,000 | $0 |
| $75,000 | $75,000 | $0 |
| $100,000 | $100,000 | $0 |
| $150,000 | $150,000 | $0 |
$ in Decatur = in Huntington-Ashland
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (88.4 → 88.4), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Huntington-Ashland more expensive than Decatur?
Huntington-Ashland is 0% equally expensive than Decatur. The overall cost index is 88.4 vs 88.4 (national average = 100).
What salary in Huntington-Ashland equals $100K in Decatur?
A $100,000 salary in Decatur has the same purchasing power as $100,000 in Huntington-Ashland. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Decatur and Huntington-Ashland?
Rents in Decatur are indexed at 56.2 while Huntington-Ashland is at 51.3 (national average = 100). Decatur has higher rents.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.